Socceroos face busy times

Australia's Socceroos and their overseas-based superstars will be asked to play at least six home-and-away matches against their Oceania opponents to gain entry into the 2006 World Cup.

But they could be asked to suit up for several more and to travel on an even more regular basis to the Pacific Island backyards of soccer minnows such as Vanuatu and Tahiti during the European season. It is a development that would cause apoplexy among European club managers, who are reluctant to see their big-name players leave their home bases for more than 24 hours.

Oceania soccer chiefs meet in Auckland this weekend to determine what format the Oceania qualifiers - the first that will produce a direct entrant to a World Cup - will take.

A number of alternatives are up for consideration, although regional powerbrokers are sure to press for a method that will bring the region's big-name teams, Australia and New Zealand, into competition with the developing nations as much as possible.

Part of the rationale for giving the region direct entry - regarded overseas as a virtual bye into the World Cup for Australia - is to help speed growth and development of the game in the island nations.");document.write("

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Australia has suggested two systems, both of which would involve it and New Zealand being seeded.

The first is for the remaining 10 Oceania countries to conduct a separate qualifying tournament, with the best two joining the regional powers in a four-team play-off, each country playing each other home-and-away twice. If that is regarded as too small a final group, then the third best of the minor nations could be added, making for a group of five teams and eight home-and-away matches.

Australia is keen to ensure there is no repeat of the embarrassing 31-0 scoreline against American Samoa, an outcome that would expose the region to even more scorn than it did last time. Hence its preference that only the strongest countries - at present Tahiti, Fiji and Vanuatu - play against the big two.

Australia has suggested these games take place in a round-robin format between August 2004 (after the Olympics) and, at the latest, September 2005, with the dates timed to coincide with the official FIFA match dates so players have to be released.

Meanwhile, the Socceroos' mooted clash with Argentina at Reading's Madejeski Stadium this month will not go ahead. Soccer Australia indicated yesterday that the national team would not be playing any games on either of the next two FIFA dates in late March and early April.

Australia is aiming to set up two matches at home in late May but has yet to officially confirm an opponent. Uruguay has been mentioned, but it, along with a number of other potential opponents, will be hamstrung by the fact that a number of major European leagues (including the Italian and Spanish) will not finish until June, meaning players would not be available for selection.

Fiji has pulled out of the Oceania qualifiers for the Women's World Cup, due to kick off in Canberra next month. The Matildas are red-hot favourites to make it through to their third World Cup in a row.